Pronger's issues kept him away from the Carnival, a staple in Philadelphia that annually raises millions of dollars for Philadelphia-area charities and allows fans to meet and take pictures with current and former players.

Lauren Pronger refused to get specific about Chris' issues, only saying, "He is not himself and it's not in a good way."

She added her family soon might reach out to former Flyers captain Keith Primeau, who had his career ended in 2006 due to concussion problems.

"That has been brought up a lot lately," she said. "There are a lot of parallels between the two. I think Chris is starting to realize now that he should be in communication with him, to know what is ahead for him. The more insight you can get, the better off you are. You kind of know what to expect and what you are going through.

"Obviously, there will be differences but if you have someone who has been through it, maybe that is a little comforting."

"I think this is very, very frightening for Chris," Lauren Pronger said. "He's been able to battle through so much and come out of it, but this is different for him. This is really tough on Chris. He wants to be out here more than anyone. This is his life, this is his passion. And this is tough."

Contact Adam Kimelman at akimelman@nhl.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NHLAdamK